Why did FSSAI send notice to IRCTC? What was shown inside the toilet of Duronto Express in the viral video? What questions did the passengers raise on this incident that happened in the First AC coach? According to FSSAI, which food safety rules have been violated in this case?
Indian Railways News: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has sent a notice to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The notice was sent after a viral video surfaced, which purportedly shows catering staff washing utensils in the toilet of the Mumbai-Ernakulam Duronto Express. In this video posted on the X account named ‘Truth on Track’, an IRCTC employee is seen inside the train toilet. The utensils are kept in a basket above the toilet seat. According to the post, the plates and cutlery used to serve food in the train were being handled in a very dirty manner.
The report also said that the incident took place in the first AC class of the train, where passengers generally expect better cleanliness and service. The post also raised questions as to how such negligence could happen in a premium class and sought an update from IRCTC and railway officials on the action taken on the complaint.
In the video, a passenger recording the incident is heard asking the IRCTC staff, “What are you doing? Is this the right place?” The employee remains silent on this. The passenger then turns the camera towards an attendant standing outside the toilet and asks if he knows what is happening inside. The attendant replies, “No, I just saw it.”
The passenger further said, “You are an attendant of Duronto Express and you don’t know that utensils are being washed inside the toilet. Are you serving food in these utensils?” To this the attendant replied, “I haven’t seen. People who wash usually wash there,” she said, pointing somewhere outside the toilet.
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After this video went viral, FSSAI has sent a notice to IRCTC asking for a complete and true report of this alleged incident. The Food Safety Authority, in its notice, said the alleged act is in violation of the hygiene rules laid down in Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. According to FSSAI, under these rules, food business operators are required to maintain hygiene in the processes of food preparation, handling, washing and cleaning, so that food and food contact surfaces can be protected from any kind of contamination. The Railway’s catering agency has not yet publicly responded to this notice.